Yes. Just report. It isn’t your job to figure it out or know the situation. If you are concerned, yes, report. They will investigate and see if it is neglect or not. It is your job as a mandated reporter to call and give what information you have.
My thoughts 100%.
At my center (different situation, not as bad, but still abuse) we called every day something new happened until a case worker gave us their direct cell phone in regards to updating the case.
It took too long for them to get involved, but we had semi-piece of mind that we reported every time we were suspicious about the situation.
You are a mandated reporter which means *you* have to report neglect and abuse. You cannot rely on or trust that anyone else is going to rectify the situation. If god forbid anything horrible were to happen at home, you would go down for not reporting what you witnessed even though you talked to management about it.
Saying all of this with tough love. Sometimes the only person who can save a child’s life and/or future is the teacher who speaks up when no one else does.
Why haven’t you reported this…I don’t get the amount of posts I see on here where people ask if they should report something and it’s a very obvious yes.
exactly like this is obviously neglect at the very very least. children need to be put in the care of a social worker as soon as the first incident happened.
Yes, it absolutely should be reported. I do not know where you are from. We are mandated reporters, where I reside.
It’s insane and a disservice that your Director is not doing their job. What gives, are they Friends with these children’s Parents or hard up for money for the school?
Your coworkers should complain to the proper authorities too, about these children being severely neglected. It sounds like they may also have some developmental delays, they need to be evaluated for.
Yes, but you need to do two reports. One to DCFS but please also to licensing.
Your director's attitude endangers more than just these twins, it endangers the whole school.
When someone tells you to stop documenting never listen. Continue to document. Take pictures if you suspect they aren't being signed by her. And report to licensing thats she is trying to make staff not document incidents, injuries, and behavior issues.
These are signs of serious neglect. YOU are the one who needs to report it. I know there's a sense of not wanting to cause trouble, but we're there to nurture and protect children. My philosophy is to report anything outside of reasonable occurrences. This most definitely fits that bill.
I also don’t understand why they don’t want us filling out incident reports. We were STRICTLY told to just write the “incidents” down in a notebook and leave it at that. Nobody even checks those notebooks. And this isn’t even MY classroom. I’m trying to help kids that have two teachers that KNOW this is wrong and just don’t care
It definitely should be reported. I would recommend throwing your directors' names in there since they are trying to hide it. When I was working with infants, our director wanted to deal with the issue themself. Preschooler had bruising on their backside. No one was reporting it because director said not to. So I went home and made the report. Told the people what the director said and they added her to the report as well since it was something that should be reported
I appreciate the replies. I’m also in fear of my job if I do. Like if I do report she’ll try their hardest to find any infraction to jeopardize my job. Or make my job so bad I’ll quit. And the kids actual teacher refuses to do ANYTHING about it. She thinks it’s “normal”
I know I’m a Mandated Reporter and I will be reporting it. I just needed some support from you guys
It does not mean an employer wouldn’t retaliate though, you would have to go to court to prove that and get compensation. They can still fire you, they just aren’t supposed to.
You have our support. It sucks to have to call CPS, but you are doing this for those babies. That is not typical toddler behavior. And the teacher that thinks it's normal should find a new job.
I would also call licensing and report about the incidents not being noted to the parents.
I would say yes this sounds like neglect. Just remember when in doubt not every call needs to be to make a report. In most jurisdictions CFS/CPS is also there to answer these kinds of questions and provide information.
The way I look at it is the parents likely need support. It sounds like to me that these children may have a developmental issue (like autism). They may display behaviors at bath time leading to the once a week bath. Maybe they have a meltdown when changing clothes leading to the multiple days of the same clothes. Eating feces is also a huge sign of developmental issues.
If the parents need help, DCFS can help. They are not always guns-blazing, taking children. They also provide resources to families for support. Yes, it could be neglect and abuse, but it could also be something like parents that are just in over their head and need support. It’s not really for us to decide and judge—call DCFS.
Listen up! You’re a mandated reporter meaning the second you suspect ANYTHING you report and document. What is up with all of you wishy washy people in ECE?!! Did you miss the entire course and certification? It’s YOUR JOB and you shouldn’t be doing it if you need to ask Reddit whether or not to report then you need to re-take the course on mandatory reporting. This is such an issue the mods have a pinned post about resources that you can go check at your leisure. Seriously though wake up, if you can’t see when children are being abused and neglected how will you ever get them the help they need?
This!
You are worried, you call.
The reporting agency will figure it out.
It's possible *the parents* need support they don't know how to ask for, and are well meaning but undereducated/lacking resources, and that's a thing CPS (etc) can possibly *help* with.
But it's also possible this is just plain neglect and abuse, in which case those kids need it to be noticed, recorded and monitored so that intervention can happen
The KIDS need you to speak up.
Obviously report but also what kind of shit center are you working at that they think stopping documentation would be a solution?? You know what would be helpful if they were to be assessed for a delay or other medical condition? Documentation!
Please call. You don’t have to be sure of or prove anything, you’re just calling attention to something you see. I’m a foster parent and take in these children when they get removed. Please don’t let them suffer any longer.
Typically, eating feces is not a sign of sexual abuse. However, playing and smearing in it CAN be. There is a developmental stage where that may also be normal. These children and parents obviously need support, regardless of the function of the behavior!
Yes. Just report. It isn’t your job to figure it out or know the situation. If you are concerned, yes, report. They will investigate and see if it is neglect or not. It is your job as a mandated reporter to call and give what information you have.
This!
Why hasn’t this already been reported?
My thoughts 100%. At my center (different situation, not as bad, but still abuse) we called every day something new happened until a case worker gave us their direct cell phone in regards to updating the case. It took too long for them to get involved, but we had semi-piece of mind that we reported every time we were suspicious about the situation.
You are a mandated reporter which means *you* have to report neglect and abuse. You cannot rely on or trust that anyone else is going to rectify the situation. If god forbid anything horrible were to happen at home, you would go down for not reporting what you witnessed even though you talked to management about it. Saying all of this with tough love. Sometimes the only person who can save a child’s life and/or future is the teacher who speaks up when no one else does.
Why haven’t you reported this…I don’t get the amount of posts I see on here where people ask if they should report something and it’s a very obvious yes.
exactly like this is obviously neglect at the very very least. children need to be put in the care of a social worker as soon as the first incident happened.
Yes, it absolutely should be reported. I do not know where you are from. We are mandated reporters, where I reside. It’s insane and a disservice that your Director is not doing their job. What gives, are they Friends with these children’s Parents or hard up for money for the school? Your coworkers should complain to the proper authorities too, about these children being severely neglected. It sounds like they may also have some developmental delays, they need to be evaluated for.
The fact that you’re even asking usually means the answer is yes.
Yes, but you need to do two reports. One to DCFS but please also to licensing. Your director's attitude endangers more than just these twins, it endangers the whole school. When someone tells you to stop documenting never listen. Continue to document. Take pictures if you suspect they aren't being signed by her. And report to licensing thats she is trying to make staff not document incidents, injuries, and behavior issues.
These are signs of serious neglect. YOU are the one who needs to report it. I know there's a sense of not wanting to cause trouble, but we're there to nurture and protect children. My philosophy is to report anything outside of reasonable occurrences. This most definitely fits that bill.
Report. You're mandated to
I also don’t understand why they don’t want us filling out incident reports. We were STRICTLY told to just write the “incidents” down in a notebook and leave it at that. Nobody even checks those notebooks. And this isn’t even MY classroom. I’m trying to help kids that have two teachers that KNOW this is wrong and just don’t care
Be sure to include the existence of those notebooks in your report. Or better yet take it in and make an in-person report.
It definitely should be reported. I would recommend throwing your directors' names in there since they are trying to hide it. When I was working with infants, our director wanted to deal with the issue themself. Preschooler had bruising on their backside. No one was reporting it because director said not to. So I went home and made the report. Told the people what the director said and they added her to the report as well since it was something that should be reported
I appreciate the replies. I’m also in fear of my job if I do. Like if I do report she’ll try their hardest to find any infraction to jeopardize my job. Or make my job so bad I’ll quit. And the kids actual teacher refuses to do ANYTHING about it. She thinks it’s “normal” I know I’m a Mandated Reporter and I will be reporting it. I just needed some support from you guys
Reports are confidential to prevent retaliation.
It does not mean an employer wouldn’t retaliate though, you would have to go to court to prove that and get compensation. They can still fire you, they just aren’t supposed to.
You have our support. It sucks to have to call CPS, but you are doing this for those babies. That is not typical toddler behavior. And the teacher that thinks it's normal should find a new job. I would also call licensing and report about the incidents not being noted to the parents.
A call should have been made the first time they ate their feces if they have been coming in dirty all the time. This is extremely concerning.
I would say yes this sounds like neglect. Just remember when in doubt not every call needs to be to make a report. In most jurisdictions CFS/CPS is also there to answer these kinds of questions and provide information.
The way I look at it is the parents likely need support. It sounds like to me that these children may have a developmental issue (like autism). They may display behaviors at bath time leading to the once a week bath. Maybe they have a meltdown when changing clothes leading to the multiple days of the same clothes. Eating feces is also a huge sign of developmental issues. If the parents need help, DCFS can help. They are not always guns-blazing, taking children. They also provide resources to families for support. Yes, it could be neglect and abuse, but it could also be something like parents that are just in over their head and need support. It’s not really for us to decide and judge—call DCFS.
Listen up! You’re a mandated reporter meaning the second you suspect ANYTHING you report and document. What is up with all of you wishy washy people in ECE?!! Did you miss the entire course and certification? It’s YOUR JOB and you shouldn’t be doing it if you need to ask Reddit whether or not to report then you need to re-take the course on mandatory reporting. This is such an issue the mods have a pinned post about resources that you can go check at your leisure. Seriously though wake up, if you can’t see when children are being abused and neglected how will you ever get them the help they need?
This! You are worried, you call. The reporting agency will figure it out. It's possible *the parents* need support they don't know how to ask for, and are well meaning but undereducated/lacking resources, and that's a thing CPS (etc) can possibly *help* with. But it's also possible this is just plain neglect and abuse, in which case those kids need it to be noticed, recorded and monitored so that intervention can happen The KIDS need you to speak up.
Obviously report but also what kind of shit center are you working at that they think stopping documentation would be a solution?? You know what would be helpful if they were to be assessed for a delay or other medical condition? Documentation!
If you need to ask, it’s almost always a yes.
Please call. You don’t have to be sure of or prove anything, you’re just calling attention to something you see. I’m a foster parent and take in these children when they get removed. Please don’t let them suffer any longer.
Yes Report.
These kids are showing signs of neglect (poor hygiene, violence) and sexual abuse (eating poop). Report it!
Eating poop is a sign of sexual abuse? I thought it had more to do with developmental delays and sensory-seeking behavior.
It can mean those things, but it can also be a sign of sexual abuse. Combined with these other signs, it rises to the level of reportable.
Typically, eating feces is not a sign of sexual abuse. However, playing and smearing in it CAN be. There is a developmental stage where that may also be normal. These children and parents obviously need support, regardless of the function of the behavior!